Run Silent, Run Deep’: Examining Right-Wing Extremism in the Military

Authors: Amarnath Amarasingam, Michele St-Amant & David Jones Publication Date: June 1, 2024 In this article published in Perspectives on Terrorism, OPV researchers collaborated with Amarnath Amarasingam to examine the intersection of right-wing extremism and military service. Through interviews with former extremists who have military backgrounds, the article explores how military experience interacts with far-right extremism.…

Assessing Person-Centered Outcomes in Women and Children Returning from Violent Extremist Conflict

This discussion paper published by the United States Institutes for Peace presents a person-centered approach to outcomes for rehabilitation and reintegration (R&R) programs targeting returning women and children. Identifying and assessing outcomes are the intended accomplishments of these programs, and are key for understanding change processes and developing strong programs. Little guidance currently exists regarding…

Hate in Alberta: Problems to Solutions

Hate and hate-motivated incidents in Alberta continue to be a problem that needs addressing.

We surveyed over 1,300 Albertans and conducted interviews with over 75 community members to help us address the problem of hate in our province. This report summarizes our findings and recommendations.

The 5R Framework: A Best Practices Model for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Women and Children Returning from Violent Extremist Contexts

Countries must determine how to manage the return of women and children from formerly ISIS-controlled territories. We propose a framework for supporting returning individuals operating across ‘5 Rs’: Repatriation, Resettlement, Reintegration, Rehabilitation, and Resilience. In this brief, we describe these 5R domains.

II. Ideologically-Motivated Violent Extremism: Hate, Extremism, and Terrorism in Alberta, Canada, & Beyond

Ideological motivated violent extremism (IMVE) encompasses grievances and ideas that have traditionally been described as ranging from far-left extremism to far-right extremism. While the activity level of some IMVE categories appears to be rising since 2019, these have been counter-balanced by a decline or plateauing of other forms of extremism in the province. 

IV. Conspiracies & Hate Crimes: Hate, Extremism, & Terrorism in Alberta, Canada, & Beyond

Although conspiracy theories and the individuals and groups that believe them are traditionally not lumped together with violent extremist organizations, we have chosen to do so for several reasons. Individuals on the fringe of some groups have conducted violence in recent years. Additionally, several established extremist organizations have adopted and incorporated parts of different conspiracy theories into their ideologies.

Break the Hate: A Survey of Youth Experiences with Hate and Violent Extremism Online

Authors: Henry Kerr, Michele St-Amant & John McCoy Publication Date: April 27, 2024 In this article published in The Canadian Journal of Family and Youth, OPV researchers share the findings of an original survey on youth experiences with extremist and hateful content online in Edmonton. The article offers recommendations for involving youth in broader efforts to…